Success Stories

PPLSI - Provider Law Firm Success Stories

Please note, the information provided in this email contains information regarding specific legal situations. Results that the Provider Law Firm is able to obtain for members will be based on the specific facts of their case and the law that applies to them. Results may differ for other members.

The Pre-Paid Legal membership helps people. We see it every day. Read below to see how having and using the PPL membership made a difference in our members' lives.

The member was making payments to his former employer for COBRA insurance premiums. The member learned that the employer was not actually passing those payments along. A letter from our attorney prompted the former employer to return all of the money the member had paid for the premiums.

Our member was shopping for a used car and sent us a contract for review before signing. The contract was pretty standard, but our attorney also looked up the book value on the car that was being sold. The attorney quickly determined that the dealer was charging over two times what the actual book value for a car of this sort was going for. Our member was very happy to have learned that before signing the contract and took his business elsewhere.

Our member received a new cell phone from her provider. She was instructed to return the old phone and was provided with a box and shipping label. The member returned the phone as instructed. The cell phone provider claimed that they never received the phone and charged her $431. Our attorney sent a letter to the provider disputing the charge. The company reversed its position and credited her account for the full amount.

Our member had ordered some recipes form a company for $21. The member never received the recipes, but the company continued to bill her. The company promised to send the recipes again, but never did so. The bill eventually was sent to a collector. Our attorney sent a letter disputing the charge to the company and the collector. The charges were reversed.

Our member was having a dispute with her credit card company over information it was reporting to the credit bureau. The company was reporting late payments and an unpaid balance. After our attorney sent a letter to the company they responded by agreeing to remove the negative information form the member?s credit report and refunding $34 in fees it had assessed to her account.

Our member was considering renting an apartment. He gave the landlord a security deposit while he was thinking about it, but he did not sign the lease. The landlord said he could have the security deposit back if he decided not to take the apartment. The member decided to go somewhere else, but the landlord refused to return the security deposit. Our attorney contacted the landlord and pointed out that under Ohio law if there was no signed lease he had no right to keep the member's security deposit. The landlord promptly returned the member?s money.

Our member wrote two books in the mid-1990s while employed by a large software company. All copyrights belonged to the company. The books were best sellers in their day, but eventually went out of print. Our member thought that they still might be of some value and could be republished and sold. With our attorney's assistance, the member was able to negotiate the release of all copyrights from the company, providing him with the right to publish the books himself and collect any profits from their sale.

Our member was a victim of identity theft. Unfortunately, the member did not have the identity theft service. Nonetheless, our attorney was able to guide the member through the dispute process. In the end, the attorney sent a letter to the credit card company along with the member's documentation establishing that she had not opened the account in question. The company agreed that it was not the member's debt, reversed the charges and cleared that account form her credit report.

We had a member who was taken advantage of by a company offering a work from home business opportunity. After paying a substantial fee, she found that the plan was unworkable and that the company had essentially scammed her. Since she paid the company using a credit card, she disputed the charges directly with her credit card company. The credit card company refused to reverse the charges, claiming that the member would have to address the issue with the company directly. Our attorney sent the credit card company a letter asking them to reconsider their decision and the charges were reversed.

Our member purchased a "lifetime" membership in a campground. The member tried to make a reservation to use the campground for over a year with no success. He was provided with a number of excuses from the site being completely booked on the dates he requested to other dates being unavailable under his membership. Our attorney sent a letter to the campground demanding that the membership be canceled and a refund be issued. A short time later the campground?s attorney contacted our attorney and arranged to refund the member's money.

The member's cell phone provider drafted a payment from her bank account without warning or authorization, causing her account to be overdrawn. The attorney sent a letter to the company which resulted in a refund of the payment and reimbursement of the overdraft charges that her bank had assessed.

Our member received a telemarketing call offering to sell him an extended warranty for his car. The member asked to review the policy before making a decision. Nonetheless the company charged the full purchase price to his bank account. The member received the paperwork, reviewed it and decided he did not want it. He notified the company that he was not interested. The company refunded his money less a $25 cancellation fee. Our attorney sent a letter protesting the cancellation fee since the member had never agreed to the original charge. The company reversed its position and refunded the fee.

Our member paid for a pre-paid funeral plan 10 years ago. She learned that the funeral home that she had made the arrangements with had gone out of business late last year. She was unable to get in touch with anyone from the funeral home or the trust company that was holding her payment. Our attorney sent a letter to the trust company resulting in a full refund of her payment.

The members had purchased a time share on-line. They paid for it, but the title company never processed the sale or the transfer. The member was not able to get a response from the time share company or the title company that was to prepare the deed and transfer paperwork. After our attorney sent a letter to the title company they sent a letter apologizing for their mistake and a refund of the members' money.

Our member was in an automobile accident. Her car was totaled and insurance paid her the book value of the vehicle, but not enough to cover the payoff of her car loan. She had Gap insurance, but the insurer refused to pay the balance left due on the loan, claiming it could deduct for damage that the vehicle had incurred in a previous fender bender. Our attorney sent a letter to the company. The insurance company changed its position and paid the rest of the claim.

Our member was leaving town for an extended period. He contacted cable company who agreed to put his account in "vacation mode", lowering his monthly fee. When he returned his bill was extremely high. Company had failed to make any changes to his account. The member disputed this with company for weeks. After our attorney sent a letter to company they adjusted his account and credited his bill.

Our member received an unauthorized charge on her credit card from a company that she had never done business with. She did not notice the charge until after the deadline to dispute the charge with the credit card company had passed. The attorney sent a letter to the company that charged her account which resulted in a refund of $977.

Our members had booked a meeting hall for a wedding reception for $2,000. The contract stated that they would be entitled to a $1,000 refund if they canceled. The members did cancel, but the company refused to refund any of their money. After our attorney sent a letter to the company they refunded all of the members' money.

Our member signed up for cell phone service under a 30 day trial offer. She canceled within the 30 days, but the provider billed her for an early termination fee anyway. The member had been disputing the charges for months with no success. After our attorney sent a letter to the provider, the charges were reversed on the next billing statement.

The member signed up for an on-line financial planning service. The materials and service provided were far different and far less useful than what was promised by the company when they contacted her. After canceling, the company refunded only $200 of the $1020 that she had paid. Our attorney sent a letter to the company resulting in a refund of the $820 balance she had paid.

Our member had signed a contract and paid a substantial deposit to have a new home built. All the paperwork was signed and the construction was to begin years ago. The contractor had delayed the work for almost 2 years, making various excuses. The attorney sent a letter to the contractor claiming breach of contract due to unreasonable delays which resulted in a full refund to the member.

Our member had purchased a used car for cash from a small dealer. There was some work that needed to be done on the car. The dealer agreed to split the cost of the repairs with the member. The dealer claimed to have done the work, but the problem was not fixed. The dealer refused to turn over the title to the car until the member had paid for the repairs. After our letter, the dealer turned over the title and settled on the matter of the repair costs.

After signing up for a so-called debt settlement service, our member realized that the company would not be able to deliver on the promises it was making and that her credit would be ruined if she went through with it. She notified the company that she wished to cancel. The company stated that the fees were not refundable and that the money she had paid already would not be returned. Our attorney's letter persuaded the company to change its position and return the member's money.

Somehow, charges for international long distance telephone calls and 900 number calls were appearing on the member?s phone bill. She had disputed the charges with the phone company who could not explain why these charges were appearing on the bill even though the member lived alone and was adamant she had not made the calls. Some, but not all of the charges were reversed. After our attorney sent a letter, the phone company reversed the remaining charges and placed a block on the line for further charges.

Our member was under a written employment contract that called for a 14-day notice prior to terminating the relationship. The employer terminated the member without prior notice and would not pay the member the 14 days' wages she was entitled to. The attorney sent a letter to the employer who promptly paid the member what she was entitled to.

Our member had filed bankruptcy two years ago. When she checked her credit report, she discovered one of the creditors included in that bankruptcy was still reporting the account as past due and owing. This is not uncommon after a bankruptcy and usually easily fixed by disputing the item directly with the credit bureau. The member had done this, but the creditor verified the information it was reporting. Our attorney sent a letter to the creditor and copied the credit bureau, resulting in the information being removed, not merely updated, from the member's credit report.

Our member had signed up for a new cell phone service. The representatives at the store assured the member that there was no cancellation fee if he changed his mind. This, of course, was not true. When the member tried to cancel, he was charged a $200 cancellation fee. After a letter from our attorney, the cell phone company agreed to waive the additional charge.

Our member had ordered merchandise on-line. She received the merchandise, but decided it was not what she wanted. She returned it and was promised a refund, which never came. After several months of going back and forth with the company, she contacted the firm and our attorney sent the on line merchant a letter. A short time later, the member received her refund.

The member made a purchase online using his bank debit card. A few days later charges began to appear from several other online merchants that he had not done business with. The member disputed the charges with his bank and with the merchants. The bank refused to reverse the charges or investigate the matter as required by federal banking laws. After our attorney sent a letter to the bank reminding it of its duties under those laws, the bank reversed the disputed charges.

Our member's employer required her to attend a training seminar for her job. The employer refused to pay for this seminar. Ohio law requires the employer to cover the costs of such mandatory training. After our attorney sent the employer a letter explaining that fact, the employer reimbursed the member for her expenses.

Our member had restrictions on the type of clothing she could wear due to her religion. She was hired for a new job, but told she would have to wear pants, which her religion forbade. The employer withdrew its offer when she told them this. After receiving a letter from our attorney protesting, the employer called our attorney and asked when the member could report to work.

Our member signed a contract to buy a piece of equipment and paid a large down payment. The contract had provisions allowing the member to cancel if he elected to do so. The member attempted to contact the other party to cancel, but that other party would not return the member's calls. After our attorney sent the other party a letter demanding that they cancel the contract, our member received a refund.

Our member received a telephone solicitation promising to provide her prescription drugs at no cost. The member agreed and received a shipment. She then received a bill for over $700, contrary to the previous promises and assurances. Our attorney sent a letter to the other party who reversed the charge and canceled the account.

Our member was extremely unhappy with work performed by his dentist. He continued to experience problems that the work was supposed to fix. After being contacted by our attorney, the dentist waived approximately $1900 in charges.

Our member filed bankruptcy in 2003. The case was discharged and the member that matter was behind him. He was recently turned down for a loan and when he checked his credit report he found that a suit and judgment had been taken against him in 2005. Our attorney's research revealed that the debt in question had been included in and discharged by the member's 2003 bankruptcy. After sending a letter to the attorneys for the creditor they immediately vacated the judgment, dismissed the case and saw to it that the entry was deleted from he member's credit report - all on one letter.

Our member received a telemarketing call offering an extended warranty for her car. She was told that she would have the opportunity to review the contract and cancel if she wished. She was not told that her credit card would be charged immediately if she accepted nor was she told about a $75 cancellation fee. When she reviewed the contract she decided to cancel the deal. It was only then that she was told about the cancellation fee. With our attorney's assistance the member was able to dispute the charges with her credit card company directly and recover all of the money that the other party had charged.

Our member was considering signing his family up for a health club membership. He was told that it would be a month-to-month membership by the club's representative. The member had us review the agreement before signing up. While the contract did say "month-to-month", the fine print actually called for at least 60 day written notice, which would have required the member to pay fees for an additional two months even after he canceled. The member was very pleased to have this additional information and opted not to sign up for the club.

The member submitted a claim under a home warranty policy to have his refrigerator repaired. After four unsuccessful attempts, the warranty company wanted to send yet another technician out to try again. Our attorney sent a letter insisting that the warranty company replace the refrigerator. The company conceded and agreed to pay for a replacement.

The member had been disputing a collection account that was appearing on his credit report for months. This was connected to an apartment he had lived in years ago. When the member moved everything was fine between him and the landlord. The first that the member knew of any problem was when he saw the collection item on his credit report years later. The collector refused to provide any information to the member despite his repeated requests. Our attorney sent a letter requesting verification of the debt. Within one week the collector responded by promising to close the account and delete the negative information from the member's credit report.

Our member had been trying for months to cancel an automatic monthly payment from her bank account for her insurance premium. Despite many promises to cancel the charge, every month her account was drafted. After our attorney sent a letter the charges finally stopped and our member received a full refund.

Our member won a trip in a prize drawing. At the last minute the promoter tried to change the trip to a different location, which was a much lower value. Our attorney sent the promoter a letter which resulted in the promoter sending the member a voucher for the full value of the original trip that the member could use on any trip he liked.

The member's landlord sent a long list of charges for repairs and cleaning of an apartment that the member had recently moved out of.  The member had lived there for years and most of the charges were for things that were the result of age and ordinary wear and tear. Our attorney sent a letter disputing the charges and the landlord dropped the matter.

The member had signed a contract to have a new home built and paid the builder a $7,000 down payment. After months there had been no action by the builder ground had not even been broken. The builder kept making excuses. Within 30 days after our attorney sent a letter to the builder claiming breach of contract and demanding a refund, our member got her $7,000 back.

Our member had booked a flight overseas. Her connecting flight on a US airline was delayed and our member missed her international flight. She was forced to incur an additional $630 in travel expenses as a result. The airline only offered the member a token settlement in the matter. After our attorney sent the airline a letter they eventually reimbursed the member for all of her expenses.

Our member had booked a hotel room online. When she arrived the room was filthy. The hotel did not have another room for her and refused to have it cleaned. Our member was forced to find another place to stay. Her credit card was charged by the hotel and they refused to refund her money. After our attorney sent a
letter to the hotel, they relented and refunded the member's money.

Our member received a telemarketing call and purchased an extended service contract for a car. After receiving the contract itself he changed his mind and canceled pursuant to the terms of the agreement. Nonetheless, the company attempted to charge him a $25 administrative fee. After receiving a letter from
our provider attorney pointing out that the fee was not disclosed in the original telemarketing call or the contract itself, they refunded the member's money. 

Our member received a collection letter about a bad check she allegedly wrote to a store earlier this year. The member called the collector and learned that they were after the wrong person. The member received forms from the collector to fill out and return, which she did. Rather than settle the matter, the collector
continued to contact her and there was even a negative report on the TeleCheck system. We wrote a letter to the collector and to TeleCheck. After they re-investigated the matter they conceded this was not our member's check and cleared her record.

Another member had taken a trip on Greyhound. She was overcharged for her tickets and had no luck trying to resolve the matter herself. After a letter from our office Greyhound sent a refund and a letter of apology to the member.

Our member was wrongfully terminated by his employer. The employer refused to reinstate the member or to offer any severance. Our attorney sent a letter to the employer which resulted in an offer to pay the member $3,000 in severance and to provide a neutral reference.

After signing up online for a dental insurance plan, the member learned that there were no dentists participating in that plan in their area. The member tried to cancel, but the company refused. Our attorney sent a letter to the company pointing out multiple violations of state consumer law. The company relented and issued a full refund.

Our member wrote a check to a company.  The check bounced.  The company called and threatened our member, who paid the amount, plus returned check fees, via Western Union.  The company ran the check through again, obtaining the money twice and causing overdraft fees at the member's bank.  Our attorney wrote a letter and the member received the sum of $748.93.

Our member ordered a nutritional supplement which was advertised on television.  The member believed that
he was getting the ten day free trial, but he was billed for a 60 day supply.  The member tried to get a
refund and was unable to do so.  Our attorney wrote a letter and was able to get a refund of $87.00 for the member.

Our member purchased credit disability insurance to cover her car payments in case she became disabled. The insurance company denied her claim, denied her appeal and refused to discuss the matter further. After our provider attorney sent the company a letter, it reversed its decision and began making payments, including retroactive payments dating back to the date of the original claim.

Another member's auto insurance company only covered the cost of a rental car for three days, the body shop that they had referred her to took five days to complete the repairs. After our attorney contacted the insurance company, it sent a check to our member to cover the additional rental charges she had incurred.

Our members had been trying to sell a timeshare for several years. They were trying to sell it through the sales
department of the same timeshare company that they purchased it from. They believed that the company was not taking reasonable steps to market or sell their timeshare. Shortly after our attorney sent the company a letter, they responded with a check and confirmation that the timeshare had been sold.

A dealer sold our member a car with a 90 day warranty. The dealer never actually sent the member the warranty policy. Our member contacted us after the engine failed. Our attorney sent the dealer a letter insisting that it provide copies of the warranty so we could determine what repairs would be covered. The dealer responded by agreeing to cover all but $150 of the cost of repairs, which was the member?s deductible under the warranty.

Member contacted her credit card company to request a payoff balance. She was given a figure and told that if she made the payment by a certain date the account would be paid in full. She made the payment by that date. Her next statement reflected an additional balance due. The credit card company refused to remove or credit those charges. Our attorney's letter to the company resulted in the additional charges being credited.

Member signed up for a home security system. He was quoted a price to install the system and made the payment. When the technician arrived the member was told he would need to pay two times the quoted price to have a system installed. The member tried to cancel, but the company would not cancel the agreement or
refund his money. Within only a few days after our attorney sent a letter to the company we received a fax agreeing to cancel the contract and refund the member's money.

Our member enrolled in a weight loss program which was actually sponsored by a hospital. She paid a large deposit of $2500 for the program. The company offering the program in conjunction with the hospital ran a bait and switch on our member, signing her up for a much more expensive and involved service. When our member attempted to cancel, the other party refused to refund her deposit. After one of our attorneys sent a letter to the other party, they finally relented and refunded the member's money.

Our member had all but signed the contract for a home based business opportunity plan involving internet advertising. The cost of the plan was over $14,000. The member only thought to contact us to have the documents reviewed at the last minute. Our attorney reviewed the documents and did some background research on the company. The contract itself was poorly drafted, one-sided and focused more on the no-refund policy than the services to be rendered. Our attorney discovered multiple complaints against the company with the BBB and several state attorney generals offices. After bringing these issues to the member's attention, the member decided to pass on this opportunity.

Our member was having trouble with his furnace. He had the same technician out four times to attempt to diagnose and repair the problem. The technician charged the member for each service call. Finally the technician threw in the towel and told the member he could not figure out what the problem was. The member asked for a refund of the money he paid for the service calls since the technician did not actually provide anything of value. The technician refused to refund the money.  A letter and follow up call from our attorney resulted in a refund to the member.

A member paid a deposit to a store for some furniture he wanted to purchase.  The balance was to be financed.  The member was unable to get the financing. The store refused to return the deposit despite the fact that there was nothing in the contract stating that the deposit was non-refundable. The letter from our attorney resulted in a check being mailed to the member.

We had a member deliver her wedding dress to a shop for alterations. After many broken promises to complete the alterations, the member was finally able to try the dress on. The alterations were wrong. The shop refused to fix the problem or return the dress without payment.  After receiving a letter form our attorney the shop relented and released the dress.

The minor son of one of our members had been promised a job at a local men's clothing store for the summer. Despite those promises, the manager never came through with the position. He simply kept putting the member off without providing a definite yes or no answer. Finally, one of our attorneys contacted the vice president of the company and the member was actually offered a position.

A member earns extra income baby-sitting. These days she relies on that income heavily as her regular hours were cut back. She had a customer that ended up owing her for several weeks worth of service, but refused to pay. Our attorney sent a letter and the member got her money. This was not a large dollar matter, but it really made a difference to the member.

A member had purchased a product on-line which made some pretty remarkable promises. Unfortunately, none of those promises or the company's other representations came true. The company refused to provide a refund. Our attorney was able to get a letter out to the company demanding a refund and to assist the member in disputing the charge with his credit card company to get a full refund.

A member had purchased a television and paid for it in installments. After making the final payment, the member continued to receive bills. Despite disputing the bill with the finance company, the bills continued to come. A Provider Attorney sent a letter to the finance company who finally corrected its records.

Our member had signed up for some online classes/training. After taking a look at the materials that were provided after he signed up, the member changed his mind and asked to cancel. At that point he was told there was a no cancellation policy. This was not previously disclosed. A letter from a Provider Attorney apparently convinced the company to rethink this policy as they refunded the member's money.

A member had successfully bid on a piece of equipment that was being auctioned on eBay. She was not able to obtain vendors/health permits for it.  The seller said he would re-list it and he would send the member her money back after deducting any costs. The seller re-listed it but never returned any money. The member contacted the Provider Law Firm and a letter was sent. The seller refunded over $4,500 to the member.

A member was approached by a company offering a business program at a cost of $15,000. Before signing the contract he sent it in for one of our attorneys to review. The attorney reviewed the contract and did some research on the company offering the opportunity. The attorney discovered numerous complaints with various private, state and federal consumer protection agencies for misrepresentation and failure to provide support and assistance as promised. The member chose not to sign the contract and thanked us for saving him a great deal of money.

An attorney at the Provider Law Firm sent a letter demanding a refund from a service company on behalf of the member for charges assessed after the member had canceled the service. The member and the attorney calculated that the member was owed $260. The service company responded by providing $280, refunding an additional month’s fee for the member’s inconvenience.

Our member had been attempting to receive a refund of $73 from a company for over a year. Both the member and the member’s family had contacted the company many times. The member had ordered merchandise that was never delivered. A Provider Attorney sent a letter to the merchant and within five days
the company refunded the member’s money and apologized for the inconvenience.

Another member recently called in for what she thought would be a routine document review for a car she was considering purchasing. A Provider Attorney not only reviewed the document, but was able to do some research on the book value of the car in question with several different sources. That research revealed that the dealer was charging substantially more than the fair market value for the car. There were also financing
and payment terms in the documents that were completely different than what the dealer’s sales representative had initially agreed to. Based on this information, the member opted to take her business elsewhere.

A creditor was dunning our elderly member for a service she had canceled A letter from the Provider disputing the charges was successful, eliciting the following response from the creditor:

"Thank you for helping us solve the problem on [the] account. We have fixed the mistake, and [the] account now has a zero balance.  We are sorry if we caused you any trouble."

In another matter, our member was contacted by a telemarketer and offered a magazine subscription on a trial basis. The member attempted to cancel the subscription during the trial period, but the company had made it impossible to cancel according to the instructions provided. The member’s bank account was being charged a monthly fee. A letter from the Provider to the telemarketer resulted in the cancellation of the service and a refund of all fees charged by the company.